The present invention is directed to a discharge pipe assembly for truck and trailer mounted high pressure well service pumping units. More specifically, the invention is directed to a discharge arm assembly comprising an articulated arm which is mounted to the truck or trailer bed and is connected to a fixed jumper line that in turn is connected to the pumping unit.
High pressure well service pumping units are commonly used in the hydrocarbon production industry to inject a variety of fluids into an oil or gas well during certain well servicing operations. For example, during a fracturing operation such pumping units are used to inject a particle-containing slurry into the well in order to fracture the hydrocarbon bearing formation and thereby produce channels within the formation through which the oil or gas may flow.
Typical fracturing operations require the use of several pumping units operating in unison to inject a large volume of slurry into the well. The pumping units are mounted on respective trucks or trailers which are parked close together, and the discharge pipe assembly of each pumping unit is connected to a collection manifold which in turn is connected to a wellhead at the top of the well.
The connection between each pumping unit and the collection manifold is usually made using a temporary flow line comprising a collection of individual and pre-assembled pipes and swivel joints secured together by clamps or connectors. The flow line components are stowed on the truck or trailer in compact configurations, and when the truck or trailer reaches the job site, they must be unfolded, assembled and the clamps or connectors rigged-up in order to extend the flow line to the collection manifold. However, this operation is time consuming, especially when multiple pumping units must be connected to the collection manifold. Also, in order to provide adequate support for the flow line, a common practice is to run the flow line from the truck or trailer to the ground and then from the ground to the collection manifold. However, this requires that each flow line be made up of several swivel joints comprising multiple swivel connections. In addition, the parts of the flow line which rest on the ground can experience undue wear that may shorten the life of these components. Furthermore, the numerous components of the many flow lines create cramped and cluttered conditions in the area between the pumping units and the collection manifold, which can be a safety hazard for persons assembling the flow lines.